Filmmaker behind 'Kony 2012' found wandering through traffic in underwear

Filmmaker behind 'Kony 2012' video taken to mental health facilitySan Diego police detain Jason Russell after he is found in traffic in his underwear, but they don't expect to seek criminal charges. The video about an African militia leader went viral on the Internet.

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By Tony Perry and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times

March 17, 2012
Reporting from San Diego and Los Angeles -- San Diego police said Friday that they don't expect to seek any criminal charges against Jason Russell, the filmmaker behind the viral "Kony 2012" video, after a bizarre incident.

Russell was acting oddly, dressed only in underwear and darting in and out of traffic in the Pacific Beach neighborhood, when officers spotted him on Thursday afternoon, authorities said. Police said some callers reported that Russell was naked and touching himself.

Russell was cooperative and "no problem for the Police Department," Lt. Andra Brown said. Officers took him to a mental health facility because they worried that he posed a danger to himself or others.

At the headquarters of Invisible Children, the San Diego nonprofit that produced the video about African militia leader Joseph Kony, security guards blocked the entrance.

Workers could be seen removing black and red "Kony 2012" banners from inside the lobby. No one answered the phones, but people could be seen inside talking on cellphones. Some were crying.

A New York-based public relations firm released a statement from the organization's chief executive, Ben Keesey, acknowledging that Russell had been hospitalized.
"Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition," the statement said. "He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday."

The organization skyrocketed to fame when the 29-minute video went viral. It has been viewed 80 million times on YouTube.
The video on the fugitive leader of the Lord's Resistance Army provoked a worldwide outcry about violence and the use of child soldiers.